One more board width question in glueing up panels

[Stuart Welsh]

I am building custom Cypress panels to cover my refrigerator. These panels will have a mosaic of raised panels that number between 15 and 20 per door or side. In addition the panels on the doors and sides will vary in size. (see picture below). I have seen varying opinions on how wide individual boards can be for panel glue up. Further I have seen differing opinions as to whether or not one can take a wide board and rip it in pieces and glue it back together to acheieve the same warp prevention. The panels I am creating for the doors will be 5 or 6 1/2 inches wide and 6, 11 or 14 inches tall. They will be 1/2 inch thick and held in 3/4 x 2 inch wide rails and stiles. I do not expect too much movement if I use full width boards for the panels. The small dimensions captured in relatively wide framework should stay put. However...I have side panels that will utilize wider individual panels. These will be 9 3/4 inches wide and either 6 or 14 inches tall. I hope to gain some consensus on these panels. I feel (and hope) that using one piece boards will work. Meaning they will not move too much given that they are still relatively small in size and captured in 2 inch wide rails and stiles. The frame components of the side panels (those that will have the wider individiual panels) will be glued/screwed to a sheet of 1/4 ply giving the frame structure even more stiffness to resisit any warping of the individual panels. Thoughts? Do I need to rip these boards in half and glue back together or can I stick with the solid board?

[Mel Fulks]

I see no value in ripping unless it is to get rid of a crack that exists. The panels are not wide, so advance boldly!

[Stuart Welsh]

<p>

I see no value in ripping unless it is to get rid of a crack that exists. The panels are not wide, so advance boldly!

Thanks Mel. Actaully since I hope to achieve the look of an 18th or early 19th century Spanish Colonial armoire I will embrace any cracks!</p>

[Dan Hulbert]

Just leave space for the panels to float and you should be fine.

[Andrew Hughes]

I like that look if you can pull it off it should be epic.

[Jim Becker]

I would personally never rip any wide board down for any reason other than it being the only wan to get it usable if there were a significant cup...and it's unlikely I'd buy a board like that. There are a lot of "tales" in the woodworking world that get passed on and on that in many cases really don't help at all, IMHO. The best way to achieve quality is to start with quality material...that's actually when you start the finishing process if you think about it...when you choose the material.

[Jerry Miner]

+1 ^ what they said. No reason to rip your panel boards. Cutting a board to reduce cupping is different from allowing for wood movement. Ripping and re-gluing won't help anything.

[J.R. Rutter]

Yep, no worries.

Rip and flip is a way to deal with lumber that is air dried or a wild card for MC.